Strawberries
by PurpleAngel87
Summary: You responded by pulling her ever so slightly closer and you tried not to attempt memorising the way she felt in your arms and the way she smelt like strawberries. Nate/Mitchie. One-shot.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Camp Rock.

AN: I have a newfound love for Nate/Mitchie so I wanted to try writing one myself. For some reason, I didn't want them to have a happy ending and I couldn't leave it bittersweet and this is what I came up with. Any feedback is always appreciated, and if anyone has come across any good Nitchie's - let me know, I'd love to read.

Dedication: To **camirae** who is an amazing writer and her reviews and PM's always make me smile. She is incredibly talented and you should all go check out her stuff!

EDIT: FF sucks. I don't like the line breaks but I don't really have a choice. Inserted 30/04/2010.

* * *

You nearly stopped breathing the first time you saw her. It was just before Final Jam and you were practicing with Shane and Jason and your stomach wouldn't stop rumbling so Shane had suggested the kitchen.

It was merely a coincidence that you cut through the Mess Hall and that was when you saw her.

She was sitting at the piano, running her fingers along the keys effortlessly, her brown hair covering her eyes. She was humming softly to herself and you couldn't make out any words. You wanted to talk to her, but you didn't want to interrupt that music that she was playing, so you hung back in the shadows.

You were still debating whether or not to stop her when the music changed to something to something more familiar and you frowned at the sound of one of your songs playing. That made up your mind and you decided to go and talk to her because strangely, she didn't seem like a fan girl, but her friend interrupted, and before you could even register what was going on, the pair of them had taken off muttering something about Beach Jam and you realised you were late.

* * *

You walked onto the stage and for the first time in your life, you scoured the crowd, not to see how many people there were, but to look for someone. Her.

Your heart soared as you caught sight of her in the front row sitting next to her friend and as you began playing, for once your attention wasn't completely on your music and you watched her out of the corner of your eyes.

Halfway through the song, you joined Shane at the centre of the stage and you caught her eye. She was smiling.

It was only when you made it back over to your side of the stage and her eyes didn't follow you that you realised you hadn't been the only person not completely focused on their music as you watched Shane look at her with adoration.

* * *

You left quickly after the show, partly because you had to, but partly because when Shane said he wasn't quite finished yet, you didn't want him to elaborate about her. Although a part of you would have done anything to meet her, the other part of you didn't want to because you knew it would confirm that there was something going on between her and Shane.

* * *

You tried to sit on your hands when you were sitting in front of the Final Jam stage so you wouldn't punch Shane. Best friend or not, the guy was an idiot for letting Mitchie go. But there was still a large part of you that felt guilty and embarrassed for being glad that Shane messed things up, and maybe you had a chance with Mitchie now.

You ran off the stage as soon as Brown declared Final Jam over and you didn't miss the sigh that escaped Shane's lips as he complained that he hadn't found the Girl with the Voice.

You heard the music start up again and you watched in surprise as _she_ came on the stage, hair covering her eyes once again. She started singing and when she finally turned around, you watched miserably as Shane turned to look at her. You stopped yourself from laughing bitterly because only fate would be so cruel as to make Mitchie and the Girl with the Voice the same person.

You felt a weight settle in your chest as you watch Shane and Mitchie harmonise in perfect melody at the centre of the stage and you couldn't shake of the feeling that it must have been the worst day of your life.

* * *

Six months later, Shane and Mitchie were officially together, and when she came to spend some time with you on tour, Mitchie decided that she wanted to get to know everyone better. You ended up going out for dinner with her and Caitlyn and you tried, you really did, to stop staring at her but when Jason caught you, you avoided talking to her for the rest of the evening.

Later, you overheard her talking to Shane.

"Shane, he doesn't like me, I can tell," she insisted. You couldn't see her, and for once you were grateful – you didn't want to see the dejected look on her face.

"Mitch, why would he not? You're beautiful, you always talk about interesting stuff, and you're a really nice person. What's not to like?" Shane answered, talking in a low voice.

It went silent for a bit and you had a suspicion that they must have been making out.

Just as you were about to leave, you heard Shane talking again.

"If it bothers you that much, I'll talk to him." You groaned silently because that conversation would be interesting.

"No, I'll talk to him myself," Mitchie said, and this time you groaned audibly and decided to make yourself scarce before they found you eavesdropping.

* * *

It was two days later that she finally cornered you. You really wished that she hadn't worn her hair down; it was only going to distract you further.

"Nate, can we talk?"

You nodded and attempted a smile. It came out as grimace.

She took a seat next to you on the sofa and you responded by moving as far away from her as you possibly could. You tried to pretend you hadn't noticed the hurt look that passed on her face, and you waited for her to begin.

"I really like Shane. In fact, I think I might love him." She looked you straight in the eye as she said it and you briefly wondered if she could hear the sound of your heart breaking. You tried to respond, but for some reason, your voice wasn't functioning and she gestured as if to say she wasn't done yet.

"And that means, I'm going to be around a lot more. I hope, anyway," she added, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I've tried to get along with you, Nate, I really have, but I just think…that you don't like me or something," she finished, her voice significantly lower than it was at the start.

You forced yourself to look at her. Really look at her. She had tears in her eyes and you didn't know why it hit you so strongly then, but you finally realised that she was never going to be yours. She was Shane's, from the second they met, and she would never ever be yours. You tried to blink back tears and when you thought you might be able to manage saying something, you tried.

"I do like you, Mitchie," you said, softly, and you didn't pause to wish that she understood the meaning behind those words. "I've just been a bit stressed out lately, what with the tour and the upcoming album. I…I don't want you to think I don't like you. You've been really good for Shane," you finished, because in the end, it all came back to him. Shane. Your best friend.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and you couldn't help but wince as she visibly relaxed because she'd been so tense because of you.

"Nate, that means so…" she began, but then she frowned. "Nate, you do know, you can always talk to me if you need someone to talk to?"

You smiled at her and nodded. "Thanks, Mitchie," you said, and you stood up, ready to leave when she stood up too and wrapped her arms around you. You responded by pulling her ever so slightly closer and you tried not to attempt memorising the way she felt in your arms and the way she smelt like strawberries. You didn't want to break apart but you did when you heard the sound of someone clearing their throat and you immediately felt sick to the bottom of your stomach.

It was Jason. He smiled when Mitchie told him that the two of you had finally worked things out and you were still relieved that it hadn't been Shane that had caught the two of you in that position because Shane could read between the lines, and he could read you like a book, and he would know.

You were so preoccupied that you didn't notice that Jason frowned at you as you walked away.

* * *

You spent more time with her after that. You didn't want to, but she would always come and find you when Shane and Caitlyn were too busy playing Playstation and she'd talk. You learnt more about her than you've ever learnt about anyone and something told you, in the pit of your stomach that this wasn't a good idea. But you couldn't help it. You knew you should have drawn the line clearly, but you loved the way she would say your name and the way she sat on the sofa with her feet resting in your lap. You knew it would come back to bite you.

* * *

"Me and Shane had a fight, Nate."

You froze. She should have been telling this to Caitlyn, not you.

You turned to look at her. Her hair was a mess, she looked like she hadn't slept in days and her eyes shone with unshed tears.

"Mitchie, you should - "

"About you," she interjected and you froze. You knew what it had to be – Shane had found out.

"He thinks I'm spending too much time with you and not enough with him. I told him that you're a friend and people spend time with their friends but he just wouldn't believe me," she managed to mumble.

You sat down and talked with her, the smell of strawberries hitting you almost immediately, but you knew from the start what you were going to say.

"Stop talking to me, Mitchie."

"You don't mean that, Nate," she said, tears working their way into her eyes again.

You sighed. "Mitchie, you don't want me to get in the way of you and Shane. There's only one solution – stop talking to me."

You felt a pain in your chest as her eyes hardened and she nodded, not even saying bye to you as she left.

You smiled because doing the right thing had never hurt so much before.

* * *

You managed to go on with life and you didn't know how, but nearly three years had passed since you stopped talking to Mitchie. Things had worked out well for Connect 3 and Mitchie and Caitlyn and you were all living your own lives. You still saw her. Of course you did, she was your best friend's girlfriend – she would always be around. But although you were civil to each other, no-one would ever say that you were friends.

Shane called you one day and you felt a strange sense of foreboding.

"Nate, you have to come out for drinks tonight!"

You didn't even bother asking why. You would be there, like the good friend you were and you took the details from him before scribbling down a few more lines to the song you were working on.

* * *

"So, last night, I proposed to Mitchie. And she said yes!"

Everyone around you cheered and Jason was the first person to say congratulations. You smiled as you walked up to the happy couple and congratulated them. You didn't think twice before giving Mitchie a hug because that's what friends do right? Hug their best friend's fiancée, smile and whisper congratulations. The smell of strawberries hit you again and it felt like you had never stopped smelling it. You noticed her grimace and you walked away, making your way over to the bar.

You needed a drink after that. You didn't realise her eyes followed you for the rest of the evening.

* * *

You couldn't stop the guilty look crossing your face when Shane asked you to be Best Man. You had to say yes, of course you did, but you wondered everyday before the wedding if you were strong enough to watch them get married. You had been getting better you thought, but that one hug had messed you up more than she ever had before.

* * *

You never quite appreciated Jason enough, you realised as he dropped by to see you one afternoon.

"You need to get over Mitchie," he had said, and you had stared at him in shock wondering how on Earth he had figured out your most closely guarded secret.

"I've known since that tour," he said, and you couldn't help but sigh as you thought back to how you and Mitchie were. Of course, Jason caught the sigh and told you to snap out of it.

* * *

You carried on as normal with the exception of a few Best Man activities that had been added into your schedule. You made another friend for the first time in years because the Best Man and Maid of Honour had to work together, and you couldn't help the way you smiled when Caitlyn Gellar burst her way into your life. It was strange that even though you'd known her before, you'd never really _known_ her.

And for the first time since you met Mitchie, you wanted to let go and fall. For Caitlyn.

* * *

You couldn't. Every time you tried to let go of her, something hit you even stronger than before and you hated that you had wanted to hold onto her for so long that now, when you finally wanted to let her go, you couldn't.

Caitlyn figured it all out and after snapping at you that you were an idiot, told you to talk to Mitchie and tell her. You snapped back that she was an idiot, and no way in hell were you going to screw up your friendship with Shane like that.

You didn't realise you didn't really have a choice.

* * *

It was raining the night she turned up on your doorstep. Two days before her wedding, and she was standing, drenched, on your doorstep. You let her in without a word.

"Me and Shane had a fight, Nate."

You froze, the feeling of déjà vu hitting you harder than ever. You looked at her, not wanting to voice your thoughts.

"About you," she added and you felt your heart drop.

"He thinks you're in love with me, Nate." She looked at you, her warm, brown eyes shining with unshed tears and she pleaded. "Please tell me it's not true, Nate."

You refused to look at her but she took a step closer and used her hand to force you to look into her eyes. You heard her gasp and take a step back and you have no idea what she saw in your eyes but you knew that she _knew._

"How…how long, Nate?" She asked, and you marvelled at the fact that she hadn't run away from you yet.

You sat down before muttering, "Since Beach Jam."

You watched her put two and two together. "Why didn't you say anything?"

You let out a bitter chuckle. "You're Shane's, Mitch. You always have been."

"But, there was a time, Nate…."

You raised your eyebrows at the unspoken sentence and groaned at the irony of it all because there was time when she felt the same way.

She smiled bitterly at the look on your face. "I love him, Nate. I really do. And I just wanted to sort things out with you before I got married."

You laughed. "We would never have worked out anyway, Mitch."

She cocked her head to side, and you clenched your fists to stop yourself from kissing her there and then. "No?"

You looked her straight in the eyes as you answered. "We were too perfect for each other."

She smiled and you knew this was it. This conversation between you was never going to come up again and you couldn't help but feel that the weight in your chest had lessened slightly.

She smiled at you before giving you a quick hug before leaving and that time when the smell of strawberries hit you, it didn't smell as addicting as it had before and you couldn't explain why you thought of Caitlyn as she left.

* * *

Two days later, you stood at the front of a church next to Shane who was pacing up and down like a lunatic. You knew that he knew but you had convinced him those feelings were non-existent now and in a strange way, you knew you weren't lying.

You caught sight of Caitlyn across the hall, and your breath caught in your throat as she smiled softly at you before mouthing that she was sorry. You mouthed an apology back after Shane clicked his fingers in front of your face a few times and she giggled.

At the end of the ceremony, you made your way over to her to apologise properly and the feeling of wanting to fall hit you all over again as she wrapped her arms around you after dragging you onto the dance floor. You laughed out loud because she smelt like peppermint and you didn't think you had ever smelt something so intoxicating before in your whole life.

She laughed with you and for the first time since you had met Mitchie, you realised that the weight on your chest had disappeared.


End file.
